University of Missouri Athletics

Nafis Ricks enters his second year on the Men's Basketball staff as a graduate assistant. Ricks, a Philadelphia native, shined at Missouri State from 2009-2011 after success at Johnson County Community College. He captured a NJCAA National Championship in 2009 with Johnson County and earned the NABC NJCAA National Player of the Year Award and NJCAA State Farm First-Team All-America Honors.

Ricks then transferred to play for Cuonzo Martin at Missouri State, where he started 35 games as a senior during the 2010-11 season. Ricks averaged 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and steered the Bears to a 2011 regular season Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

After his collegiate career, Ricks played for BC Jyvaskyla, a first division club in Finland where he averaged 24.6 points per game and 9.7 rebounds. Ricks then spent two seasons in Brazil, where he poured in 17.4 points per game with Liga Sorocaba before a stint with Rio Claro Basquete in the Brazilian Paulista league.

After his playing career, Ricks served as a volunteer team counselor and coach at California-Berkeley under Martin, where he trained student athletes in practices and worked to improve the versatility of the Golden Bears' squad.